A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 407 



support only open woodlands of pine and cedar, in which grass is 

 abundant. 



In the Ozark-Ouachita section commercial forest occurs in the 

 more humid eastern portion and the "fringe forest" in the western. 

 About half the forest area of the Ozark-Ouachita section has now been 

 cleared for agriculture. 



The "fringe forest" is the rather scrubby forest and woodland 

 that borders the commercial forest of the Ozark-Ouachita Mountains 

 on the west. The Arkansas and Red River drainages contain about 

 10 million acres of woodland, of which Oklahoma has 1% million 

 acres. This woodland type, which reflects the dryness of the region, 

 is composed largely of oak. Pine, mostly shortleaf, occurs on the 

 better sites. 



Within the plains region the woods occur as islands and stringers 

 on the lighter soils and north slopes. Poplars and willows follow the 

 streams far into the plains. The forest of the Breaks is largely 

 woodland and brush, scrub oaks and brushy vegetation predominating. 



Because the Arkansas and Red Rivers contribute great quantities 

 of water and silt to the Mississippi floods, it is highly desirable in the 

 drainages of these rivers to retard stream flow during the flood periods 

 and to protect the soil from erosion. Watershed-protection service 

 rendered by the forests in these drainages at critical periods is a matter 

 of national importance. 



The effectiveness of the forest cover in maintaining good watershed 

 conditions is indicated at least in part by the behavior of the Current 

 River, a northeasterly tributary of the White River. The upper part 

 of the basin of this river is rough and hilly, the lower rolling. Most 

 of it is in forest. The ordinary flow of the river is derived almost 

 entirely from springs. Discharge measurements made by the Geo- 

 logical Survey show that, originating from deforested or burned areas, 

 its ratio of maximum to minimum flow is only 65 to 1, whereas for the 

 main Arkansas River at its mouth the ratio of maximum to minimum 

 flow is 600 to 1. 



WATERSHED PROTECTIVE CONDITIONS BY REGIONS 

 ROCKY MOUNTAIN FORESTS 



In the Rocky Mountain part of the Arkansas and Red River 

 drainages some timber has been cut but the relative inaccessibility of 

 the forests has prevented extensive exploitation. Relatively few 

 fires occur, though it is evident that fires have been severe in the past. 

 In the spruce type fires have been particularly disastrous, many burns 

 having failed to restock. Unrestricted grazing in the early days led 

 to serious gullying of mountain meadows, which has not yet healed. 



Some 80 percent, or about 2} million acres, of the forest area in this 

 section is included in national forests. This acreage is protected 

 from fire, and is so managed that cutting and grazing do not destroy 

 the cover and that forest conditions are steadily improving. 



Outside the national forests, forest land is not being given the care 

 that its watershed values justify. Cutting has removed much of the 

 forest cover, and recurrent fires destroy the litter. Loss of the litter 

 has decidedly impaired watershed values, resulting in increased surface 

 run-off, decreased absorption, and increased erosion. Overgrazing, 



168342 33 vol. 1 27 



